Australian sport has many ‘night of nights’
Sports star and their partners arrived on the blue carpet, traditional for the event, for the 2024 Australian Cricket Awards at the Crown Palladium in Melbourne on Wednesday night.
Both male and female cricketers attend the event in the hopes of taking out the top awards, the Belinda Clark Award and Allan Border Medal, that will name them the best in the sport in their respective gender.
Thigh-high splits were also a plenty on the blue carpet, with Sarah Handscomb, the wife of Peter, wearing a dress with a dramatic bodice and cut out under the chest, with a large tulle detail on her shoulder. Her detailed dress also featured a split that sat just below her hip – a style seen on many stars on the carpet.
Megan Kincart, who attended with Josh Inglis, also wore a dress with a dramatic slit, sparkling with sequins and with a beautiful strapless neckline.
Daphne Boland also had a split as a significant detail in her dress, which had a cape-like design.
Pat Cummin’s wife Becky also made a splash on the blue carpet, wearing a strapless black velvet dress with curled detailing on the hip.
The intricate detailing on the dress was completed by a thigh-high split that almost reached her hip.
Among the first to grace the carpet was one of the most recognisable faces in cricket, Ellyse Perry.
Perry wore a mint green plissé halter dress with a daring split down her chest, creating a Marilyn Monroe-esque look for the occasion.
The athlete paired the look with gold jewellery, including a gold clutch, and styled her hair in loose waves around her face.
The sport’s golden couple David and Candice Warner were the notable faces not in attendance following a family holiday in Dubai.
Usman Khawaja arrived, with wife Rachel by his side, wearing a classic tuxedo with a bow tie and white pocket square. His muted choice of colours allowed Rachel to stand out by his side.
The cricketer’s wife, who was styled by Lana Wilkinson, wore a floor length red gown with a corset detailing under the bust. The form-fitting dress also featured long sleeves.
Marnus Labuschagne attended alongside wife Rebekah, who stole the moment in black sequin dress with spaghetti straps, in a roaring 20s-esque vibe.
She paired the look with simple, elegant jewellery and had her blonde hair styled in an up do with some framing her face.
In possibly the most adorable blue carpet move ever, Aaron and Amy Finch brought along their daughter Esther to the event.
On an ordinary night, Amy would have stolen the show in her black frock with a daring leg split and mesh sweetheart neckline, but Esther rocked up to the event dressed as Cinderella.
She held mum and dad’s hands with a big smile on her face while they walked along the blue carpet.
Meanwhile Finch, who rounded out the family, also wore a classic tuxedo to the event so his guests could stand out beside him.
Finch recently said at the end of the most recent Big Bash League the season would “likely” be his last following a season of injuries.
Cricketer Annabel Sutherland wore a scooped neck lilac dress that had a sheer layering over the top with orange flower detailing.
The 22-year-old carried a lsmall clutch and styled her hair in loose curls around her face for the awards night.
Ashleigh Gardner, who was the winner of the Belinda Clark Award in 2022, wore a straight neck dress with funky earrings and a red bag. She was accompanied by partner Monica Wright, who work a red dress to co-ordinate with Gardner.
The pair, who were both wearing satin, put on a stunning display on the blue carpet.
Steve Smith, who last year won the Allan Border Medal for the fourth time, and wife Dani put on a stunning display at the event.
Smith wore a black velvet tuxedo jacket, elevating the look many men were taking on during the evening, while Dani wore a strapless dress with a bold and unique metallic print on it.
Matthew Renshaw and Josephine Renshaw also arrived together, with Renshaw following suit of many other men during the evening; but he did match his pocket square to his wife’s light blue satin dress. Josephine’s dress featured a cross body neckline and a large bow on the front of the dress.
She finished the look with a nude handbag.
Red seemed to be the colour of the evening, with Gardner’s partner Monica leading the way. Todd Murphy’s partner Bec Jackson changed the script on the typical Grecian dress – white with a tie around the waist – and wore an attention-grabbing red for the timeless dress instead. The dress, which featured a plunging neckline, also had detailing around the waist.
Cameron Green’s guest Emily Redwood also wore red, with her dress featuring a daring thigh-high split and bell sleeves.
Australian swimmer Madison Wilson, who is engaged to cricketer Matthew Short, also went for a red coloured dress.
Wilson’s red dress was reminiscent of a flamenco dancer with a one-shoulder neckline on the satin dress with a tie around the neck.
Her floor length dress also feature a split on the waist.
While black dresses were the colour of the evening, there were definitely women who weren’t afraid to have a pop of colour.
Cricketer Alana King wore a beautiful bold blue dress, which featured one shoulder and a split in the centre.
Pink was also a colour of the evening with cricketers Darcie Brown and Grace Harris both popping in pink frocks.
Anna Bodlovich, who attended with Aaron Hardie, also wore a daring colour with a green dress with dramatic neckline, which she finished with pointed silver heels.
Sarah Williams, who attended alongside Lance Morris, wore a sheer pastel blue corset dress for the event, with the figure-hugging dress showing off her form.
She styled her long dark brunette hair in loose curls, positioning it to fall over one shoulder.
Metallic dresses were also a huge hit on the blue carpet, as per Eloise Carey and Hattie Zampa.